


Maddening Itch

by Haldane



Category: House M.D.
Genre: M/M, M/M if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-19
Updated: 2012-09-19
Packaged: 2017-11-14 15:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/516773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haldane/pseuds/Haldane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is no poison ivy in Australia.  Chase falls into a plant while out jogging, but doesn't know what it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maddening Itch

House had timed his moment carefully. He'd closed the conference room's blinds on some pretext during their differential, and delegated Cameron and Foreman to run the required tests. That left him alone with Chase, at least for a few minutes. A few minutes would be enough.

Chase was slumped at one end of the table, miserable and uncomfortable for reasons that had nothing to do with House. So he was taken off guard when the cap of House's Vicodin bottle rattled past his head and landed in the center of the table.

"Damn. Get that for me, would you?" House asked casually, hooking his cane over the back of a chair and settling his weight. When Chase stood up and leant over, House grabbed his shirt at the waist with both hands and jerked it up to Chase's armpits.

"House!" Chase started to protest, then sighed and let the older doctor examine the mess on his back. Red blotches, nearly healed pink in places, but scabs and glaring angry crimson in others that might have well as spelled out "infection".

House allowed Chase to stand up and yank his shirt back into place. "Let me see... Given the timing, you went out Saturday morning - "

"Yes," Chase admitted.

"And lay down in some nice green plant you haven't seen before - "

"Fell."

"Whatever. When it came up in blotches, the druggist gave you some cream for it, and in trying to medicate your own back you've made a complete mess of it. Now you still have the original poison ivy, but you've gained a nice infection to keep it company." House waited for a moment. "Well?"

"Close enough," Chase sighed.

"Come here." House walked into his office. Chase followed a little uncertainly, waiting just inside the door while House rummaged in his desk, producing a script pad. "Get this filled downstairs; it's a broad-spectrum antibiotic. And you have an appointment here every morning at five to nine and every evening at five past five, to have it applied by someone who can see what they're doing."

"Here? In your office?" Chase stared at House, watching his hands as he filled out the script. Imaging those unexpectedly graceful hands, on his back, sliding his clothes aside and stroking the maddening burning itch into cool quiescence-

"No." The single snapped syllable broke into Chase's thoughts and jerked his attention back to House's face. Chase cringed as he registered House's amused expression. "Here, as in 'here in this hospital'. There's a perfectly good clinic downstairs full of people able to treat you," House snorted briefly, "competently. A week from today I want you to have a patient file with fourteen entries for treatment, and a significantly improved back. Now get down to the pharmacy."

Chase snatched up the piece of paper and fled, his face as hot and red as his back.


End file.
